Getting To Know: Seth Jensen

Bryan Munson

02/25/2006

You may not have ever seen a recruiting highlight film like Seth Jensen's before, but I have never spoke to anyone like Seth Jensen before. You'd better have a pen and paper at the ready when you are talking to Seth because more than likely you will hear something you want to remember. Without further adieu, here is Seth Jensen, one on one.

Position(s) played last year: Offensive Tackle, Defensive End and Defensive Tackle

Stats: 86 tackles, 59 solo, 17 tackles for loss, nine sacks, three blocked extra points, and two blocked field goals. "I think one quarterback we played against only saw five plays the whole game. I know I knocked out two or three of them. I think that I had nine knockouts this season."

Honors: First team all-conference for defensive tackle, Rocky Mountain News honorable mention all-state defensive tackle, Denver Post first team all-state offensive tackle, Whose Who of High School Athletes in the United States, U.S. Army All-American nominee, Midlands team Top 50 for Scout.com, Collegiate Sports Association all-American, academic letter for a 3.56 GPA and leading tackler for team.

Enjoyed the most on official visit: "I was at Nebraska for the spring game, Maine, Iowa State and Oklahoma games beyond my official visit. Meeting with Pierre Allen at Nebraska, since he is from Colorado and making friends with Cruz Barrett and Kenny Wilson. I think my favorite part about it was all of the food they gave us. There wasn't one part of the day where I was hungry."

"Just hanging with the team, a couple of the players after the game, the whole experience and it being paid for. You really don't have to worry about anything because it is all there for you. I think on my official visit though, what topped it off was when Jordan Congdon kicked that field goal."

"It was loud in there and when they called the timeout everyone thought that they just iced their own kicker. The reason for it was because they didn't have the proper guys on the field. It was really windy the whole day, 15-20 mile an hour winds, but right before he kicked it just died for five seconds, it got quiet and when the ball was in the air the wind came back up and it carried it to the left and through the uprights. That is when the stadium just exploded."

Biggest factor in choosing Nebraska: "I don't really think that there was one thing, it was everything. It was the coaches calling me, sending me packages with 20 or 30 letters that were all handwritten. Every week talking to Coach Gilmore and finally getting up to Nebraska for the spring game to see what it was like."

"To be honest, I hated it the first day. My mindset was on Colorado from when I went up to the Elite Seven tour for the kids in Colorado. I told my mom that I liked it and that I was going to commit. My mom said that we were going to see Nebraska and asked me to wait."

"The first day I was up there, the day before the spring game, I thought that I really didn't like this. They were feeding me everything that every other college team was feeding me. The spring game that day really opened my eyes and I really don't think that any other school could do that."

"I had people coming up to me and talking to me. I didn't think that they knew me. I really enjoyed it. Also it was the support from the coaches, not pressuring me and updating me with all of the new things that they are getting. The "Der Viener Schlinger" was fun. We cranked that baby up and I put one out of the stadium."

"What sealed the deal for me was camp. Coach Blake was pampering me just a little bit and they showed me a lot of love. I was having a good time because I was so exhausted from camp. I did so much up there, but I had so much fun. It was just a great environment. Nebraska is not known for it's trouble, it's known for it's tradition. Most kids asked me why did I choose Nebraska and I just told them to go see it for themselves and they would say 'Oh, Nebraska!'."

"You know and it was the town. I was reading up on some things and Lincoln is in the top 25 for the safest places for a child to grow up. They have one of the lowest crime rates in the United States. The town is awesome in how the streets are coordinated and everything is right there on campus. It's a five or six minute walk from my dorm to any class. The campus is full of trees so there is plenty of shade. There are newly renovated dorm rooms and the indoor facility is almost done. It's almost ready for the class of 2006 to come in and break it in and bring back some of those championships."

Other schools considered: Colorado and Oklahoma

What are you looking forward to the most when it comes to getting to Nebraska: "The experience. Everyone speaks so highly of college life and I want to experience that. I have been talking to Craig Roark and a little to Matt Slauson; they are saying that it is a great time and that it is nothing like high school. Yeah, there is a little more pressure, but you don't have to worry about eight or nine classes a day, I am worrying about one or two a day."

"I am also looking forward to wearing that "Scarlet and Cream", coming out of that tunnel and being geared up, ready to play. That is another reason why I chose Nebraska is that I got to walk through that tunnel six times and every time it got better. It never got old. Another was with Coach Blake, Coach Callahan and Coach Gilmore, because of my injuries, never gave up on me and never gave up hope. I am pressing on. I am ahead of schedule. They are looking to me to actually get some playing time next year. I'll be playing next year whether it's special teams or playing tackle, because I know that they are only two deep at tackle because they will have two first-time starters, me and a junior college kid."

"If one of those kids gets hurt then the junior college kid is going in and I will be in the second spot and that gets me pumped up talking about it right now. Me heart gets pumping for that right now. I am excited. There is no other feeling that could express it. I hope that none of the players get hurt, but in that chance I will be traveling with the team going to USC, to Texas or wherever else and I will have that shot to play."

"I will be rooming with Mike Smith. He's a very soft-spoken kid and likes to take everything in. We have become really good friends and met at the spring game and on his official to Oklahoma. He's a great guy. A lot of people look at his pictures and think 'Did this guy just get out of jail?'. He's probably one of the most soft-spoken, laid back guys I have met. He thinks it's kind of interesting when I tell him little facts and I have some of the most useless information you could think of. He just thinks that it is awesome that I know it."

Funny recruiting story/little known facts: "I know how to play some songs on electric guitar. My dad has three acoustics and one electric guitar. We have a nine piece drum set with seven symbols and a cowbell. I will play drums, but there is a drummer of my main friends who is going to be a Marine and he is really good. I try to play drums and I can play a little on guitar. I know Ironman and some Green Day songs. Usually that is all that I can play. We try to slow them down and speed them up and throw something new into the mix."

"On my official, I was hoping that I was going to get a defensive lineman as a host, but I got Craig Roark. When I heard that they were sticking me with an offensive lineman was just thought that they were kidding me. I do all of this P.R., recruit, speak highly of the school and you stick me with an offensive lineman? It's just the "D" side that was talking there. He is a great guy. He showed me around. Introduced me to a lot of people, a lot of friends, showed me his dorm, showed me around Lincoln and he was just a really nice guy. He's funny too."

"I don't know if everyone knows, but I am a two-time, national champion at Taekwondo. I won one when I was eight and one when I was 10. When I won gold one year I took second in sparring. This kid just leveled me. I wasn't ready for him. A lot of people get nervous in front of crowds at football games and I would just tell them try fighting in front of a couple of thousand people. There were a lot of people at these Olympics. It was a fun experience. My dad is a fifth degree black belt, he's a master now."

"If you get a chance to take a look at Randy Jordan then look at a picture of Kanye West. You can't tell the difference. That was one of my funny recruiting stories. Kenny Wilson was sitting with me and I said to Kenny 'Who does he look like?'. Kenny just busted out laughing. Pierre came over and asked what was so funny and he looked and started laughing. Cruz came over and asked and he looked and lost it. Coach Jordan came over and asked what was so funny and I said, "Coach, has anyone ever told you that you look like Kanye West?". He just started laughing. It was a very funny night. I just say to him now, "Hey, what's up Kanye?".

Number desired: "I want "66". Cruz Barrett wants "66" too and we were going to get into a scuffle and do an Oklahoma drill right there to see who got the number, but the coaches didn't think that would be a very good idea. When I committed, we were sitting in Coach Callahan's office and I was wearing all Nebraska stuff. They didn't think anything of it because on each visit I wore the team's stuff."

"After we got done talking I said, "Now Coach Callahan, you know that I wear number 66 for my high school, right?" He said yes and I asked to be guaranteed the number since Le Kevin Smith was leaving. He didn't think anything of it and said, "Sure, we'll give you number 66 if you commit." So I just kind of looked around, looked at my mom and dad, stood up and said, "You just got yourself a football player." They didn't really take it in they just said, "What?" I said, "Coach, I am committing to Nebraska. You got yourself a defensive tackle/end."

"His eyes got huge and he jumped and gave me a hug. I looked around and there was Coach Blake dancing. Imagine Coach Blake dancing really fast and hollering. He comes up and says, "I don't know whether to tackle you or give you a hug." Coach Gilmore, is a little more quiet, and he came over and just said, "I knew it buddy. I just knew it." He shook my hand. The secretaries all came in wondering what happened and they just said, "You just committed didn't you?" I made friends with all of the secretaries there. They went and told everyone."

"It was just a really good time and got a lot of pictures. I will be getting "66" when LeKevin leaves. I don't have a problem sharing "66" with Cruz, but he won't be the only one sporting that. I got to know Cruz and his story really well. If things go well and when we get that two week break after Christmas and after we win our bowl game, Cruz can come spend Christmas with us. That goes for anyone else that can't make it home for Christmas."

Message to Husker Nation: "I thought of a couple of them. You know how Vince Young said 'We'll be back'? Well, we are back. We're back. The order has been restored."

"I sit down and we have all the profiles printed out of all of the commitments. I have been reading up on Maurice Purify and Kenny Wilson. Kenny Wilson runs like Reggie Bush. We're going to beat Texas and USC next year. We have a serious chance of making the BCS next year."

"That is just my standpoint. I have that much faith and confidence. We have a very legitimate chance of making the BCS next year and for years to come. We just have so many great players coming in and so much depth. That has just been missing the last couple of years."

"We are going to be leaders and contenders. As long as I am here we will be on top of the Big 12."

"One more thing for the fans, thanks for all of the love and the support. I was getting mail when I was hurt. All of the get well soon cards. I actually got one from Clarence Thomas. He is a Husker fan. We are going to get that framed. I got some from California, some from Nebraska, and one from Clarence Thomas. It's little things that accumulate into a whole that makes that school so special."

"That is why Nebraska is number one is the nation with it's fan base. 270+ consecutive sellouts. They care about their players. If you go 0-10 or 10-0 they will love us. They aren't any bandwagons out there. There can't be to have almost 75,000 fans at each game the last 30 years. I don't think that we have any of those fans. That is what builds the confidence of the players."

"My rehab is going good. You will see me next year taking someone out."